This is the banana bread. The one I’ve been making since COVID. The one my mom used to make when I was a kid. The one I’ve brought to the office, to friends, to events — basically, if I love you, you’ve had this banana bread.

It’s my most requested recipe of all time. My mom’s original, no subs. No coconut sugar swaps, no almond flour today — just the real thing. It’s old-school, simple, and ridiculously good. It makes a perfect loaf, 12 muffins, or 3 mini loaves. They freeze beautifully, travel well, and somehow taste even better the next day.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 tbsp (½ stick) Unsalted butter, melted (or ghee / vegan butter)

• 1 cup Granulated sugar (or sub coconut sugar)

• 1 large Egg

• ½ tsp Pure vanilla extract (optional but classic)

• 3 Overripe bananas, gently mashed

• 1½ cups All-purpose flour

• 1 tsp Kosher salt

• 1 tsp Baking soda

• ½ tsp Ground cinnamon (optional)

• ¾ cup Chocolate chips (I use Guittard coconut-sugar chips — about half a bag)

• ⅓ cup Semisweet chocolate chips (optional for extra texture)

• ½ cup Nuts of choice (optional — no walnuts for me, I’m allergic)

PROCESS

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line your loaf pan or muffin tin with parchment or paper liners.

2. Mash the bananas in a large bowl and mix in the sugar as you mash — it sweetens the bananas and gives them a smooth, chunky texture. Add the melted butter and egg (and vanilla, if using).

3. Add the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon directly into the bowl — no need to mix dry ingredients separately. Use a fork or spoon to gently fold everything together until the flour is just incorporated. Don’t overmix.

4. Stir in chocolate chips (and nuts, if using). The batter should be thick, moist, and speckled with banana.

5. Scoop into your muffin tin (about ¾ full) or pour into your loaf pan. Bake at 325°F — about 19 minutes for muffins, 35 minutes for mini loaves, or 60 minutes for a full loaf.

6. Check with a toothpick — it should come out clean, and the edges should be golden while the centers stay pale and soft. Don’t overbake; they’ll continue cooking slightly as they cool.

7. Transfer to a wire rack immediately so they don’t keep cooking in the pan. Cool completely before storing.

NOTES

• Don’t puree the bananas — mash them by hand for that nostalgic, homestyle texture.

• I use melted butter instead of softened; it’s how my mom did it.

• These taste even better the next day once they’ve rested overnight.

• Freeze individually and reheat when you want one — they pop back perfectly.

• They make the best edible gift; everyone lights up when they see the container coming.